Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 23, 1912.djvu/229

 Co/lecfanea. 207

Senan " built seven churches and a beautiful high belfry " there, and how "St. Caimin, a vigorous chieftain, erected seven churches and a high belfry " on Lough Derg. Legend told that St. Senan, while building his tower, was interrupted by a woman, and left it unfinished.^" St. Blawfugh (Blathmac) built two towers at Rath- blamac, one of which was stolen and brought to Dysert O'Dea by St. Manawla. Of the bells of Dromcliff and Kilnaboy towers I have already told.^^ Kilnaboy tower was broken down by " the bombardment of Cromwell." The round tower at Tomgraney was faintly remembered, in Petrie's time, as like that on Iniscaltra, but it has long since been forgotten.

Crosses and monumefits. — I have already mentioned the cross of Dysert O'Dea, ^^ which was unusual in having portions of its carvings on separate pieces of stone, some of which are lost. The cross fell twice, and was re-erected by Conor Crone O'Dea in 1683 and by Col. Synge of Mount Callan in 1872; each benefactor died in the year following his restoration of the cross. The breaking off or fall of any portion of the monument of Sir Donal O'Brien, the first of the baronets of Dromoland, in Kilna- soolagh church, is fatal to his descendants, and so is any attempt to clean or repair it, tradition alleging that one of the O'Briens always dies in either case.^^ My own family believed that, if the family vault were opened, it had soon to be opened twice again to receive new occupants.

Underground passages. — One is said to lead from Cahercrochaun to Dundahlin on Loop Head, and another from the great promontory fort of Dundoillroe eastwards, where a brown track, probably an old road, still remains. A third ran through Barna- goskaigh to the Tuamnagoskaigh in Ballynahown, near Lisdoon- varna, where there is a roofed cleft of some length. A fourth went from Bealboruma fort under the Shannon ; through it the angry Brian Boru sent soldiers to waylay and kill his slandered

'^^ Ibid., p. 18. The same tale is told of St. Declan and the beautiful perfect round tower of Ardmore, County Waterford.

"Vol. xxii., p. 336; Ordnance Survey Letters (Co. Clare), vol. i., ]i. I44.

I'-Vol. xxii., pp. 57, 456.

'■'The fall of an angel not long before the death of the late Lord Inchiquin greatly strengthened the belief.